Saturday, January 6, 2018

Please note: The 2nd Wednesday of each month is the regularly scheduled meeting of the City of Lake Worth’s HRPB. The next meeting of the HRPB will be held next Wednesday, January 10th.

See the notice published on Dec. 28th inThe Lake Worth Herald below.

However, the monthly meeting of the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) Board has been moved to January 17th. So please spread the word: January’s P&Z meeting was moved from the 1st Wednesday of the month to the 3rd Wednesday due to conflicts with the City’s holiday schedule: the next P&Z meeting will be held at 6:00 on Jan. 17th at City Hall.

Now to the notice published in The LakeWorth Herald last year:

Legal Notice No. 33403
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Lake Worth, Florida, Historic Resources
Preservation Board, will hold a public hearing in the City Commission Chambers,
7 N Dixie Hwy, in said City at or after 6:00 PM on Wednesday, January 10, 2018,
to consider the following:HRPB 17-02900001: A request by Stateside Partners for a Zoning Text amendment
to the Land Development Regulations, Section 23.3-6, Permitted Use Table, to allow
Health Clinic-Urgent Care in the Downtown (DT) Zoning District as a permitted use.Written responses can be sent to the Lake Worth Planning & Zoning Board at 1900
2nd Avenue N, Lake Worth, FL 33461 and must arrive before the hearing date to be
included in the formal record. You also have the opportunity to attend the meeting
to provide oral testimony. For additional information on the above issues, please
visit the City of Lake Worth Division of Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation
located at 1900 Second Ave. North, Lake Worth, Florida 33461 or contact City Staff at
561-586-1687.

To read the entire notice published in the Herald pick up the print edition at the City’s newsstand located at 600 Lake Ave. in Downtown Lake Worth. Been thinking of becoming a subscriber? Click on this link.

The Lake Worth Herald Press is located at 1313 Central Terrace in the City of Lake Worth. Call 561-585-9387 for more information or send an email to: Editor@lwherald.com

The big items debated: Infrastructure, fixing roads and potholes, constructing a
Downtown parking garage, additional funds for City’s Park of
Commerce, and maybe even some funding for the Casino and Beach
Complex as well.

Following a City Commission Work Session last July, Assistant City Manager Juan Ruiz stated he was going back to Staff to fine tune the results from the “Proposed Projects” list. For more about this meeting use this link to read about,

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood”.

This meeting, in my opinion, set the standard how local governments deal with very important issues such as this. Yes. It was that good.

The oversight for the “¢1 sales tax” proceeds Ruiz stated will be the task of the City’s Finance Advisory Board with guidance from the Palm Beach County League of Cities.

Ruiz summed it up this way, this money is to:

Fund infrastructure projects.

Leverageinfrastructureprojects.

Completeinfrastructureprojects.

Note the word, “infrastructure”.

Will this money fund “Road beautification”? Tree-lined roads? No. It will not. Will the County have veto power over a decision? That is still unknown.

The bad news from City Manager Michael Bornstein was the FEC Railway’s maintenance funding for the City’s railroad crossings ($500,000?). Remember, railroad crossings are a right-of-way courtesy of the railroad and regulated by the Federal government. As they say,

“The railroad [Henry Flagler] was here first.”

City Attorney Glen Torcivia said a project is what, “serves the public purpose” and “needs to comply with the ballot language.” A crucial point. Also, the definition of Infrastructure is not a broad one; it’s very precise.

About ¾ way through the meeting Ruiz said “it’s been a healthy dialogue” and tried to gauge the consensus (top priorities) of the City Commission — by rank, highest to lowest — here it is:

#1: Roads (fix, repair, and maintain roads not on the Neighborhood Road Bond passed last year).

#2: Park of Commerce and Boutwell Rd.

#3: Construct a parking garage in the Downtown.

#4: Address/fix the Casino business plan at the Beach.

Mayor Pam Triolo then tasked the City Commission to each pick their top three. However, some added caveats and ended up with a list of more “top picks”.

Here we go. . .

Mayor Pam Triolo:

#1: Roads (along with Park of Commerce [POC])

#2: Parking garage

#3: Beach business model

Triolo also said, “Traffic calming is a big issue in all the [City] neighborhoods.” And Triolo set the theme for the evening, “Have everyone feel the love.”

Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell:

#1: Roads

#2: POC and Boutwell Rd.

#3: Parking garage.

Maxwell also suggested a parking garage Downtown in tandem with a parking garage at the Beach run by a “Parking Authority”. The City could capture the resulting revenue sans running the day-to-day operations. Maxwell’s big push was for land acquisition and then “mortgage” that land to developers like the Town of Lantana has done for many years, a “huge opportunity”.

License plate readers are a “big priority” and Maxwell told everyone, “CDBG money may not be around for long.”

Vice Mayor Pro Tem, District 3 CommissionerAndy Amoroso:

#1: Roads

#2: Parking garage

#3: Beach business model

Removing the pier at Spillway Park, now condemned, is “a no-brainer”. Amoroso also said, “Think Maxwell’s idea of land acquisition is a great idea.” And Amoroso also pointed out, “We know a parking garage will provide revenue . . . get multiple things done and share the love.”

District 2 City Commissioner Omari Hardy:

#1: Roads

#2: POC

#3: Parking garage.

Hardy diplomatically called the Beach a “recurring expense problem” and think it was Hardy who first said the pier removal at Spillway Park was “a no-brainer”. Hardy’s position was firm on, “Invest now to save money later.”

Hardy also reminded everyone there are streets in this City still unpaved (2½ miles mostly in Districts 1 and 2). Streets that were platted 104 years ago. [In my opinion? A historic disgrace that needs to be remedied.]

District 4 Commissioner Herman C. Robinson:

#1: Beach business model.

#2: Parking garage

#3: Roads

Robinson said, “Completing the Casino [business plan] is absolutely at the top of my list” and “has to be done.” Robinson’s focus was on ROI [return on investment] and the City can’t wait for “money from above”. Robinson was keen to Hardy’s idea of “pocket parks” to replace unpaved roads. [A consensus? No more unpaved streets in our City here in Palm Beach County?]

The big idea of the night was from Vice Mayor Maxwell and Commissioner Hardy seemed to agree:

Borrow money ($10M+) up front and pay off with the County money over the next 10 years. This would provide a big impact, for example, on fixing more of our roads in the City of Lake Worth. Is this even possible?

“Stay tuned”, as they say, and try not to get frightened or upset. All the City Commission is doing is exploring ideas. Why?

Because that’s their job

as elected officials.

Friday, January 5, 2018

First a question: If you are a Lake Worth Electric Utility customer do you think your electricity is generated by the City’s power plant? The City of Lake Worth has a new solar field located on a former landfill so we’re less dependent on coal now, right? Nuclear energy too? We don’t need FPL?

Continue reading for the answers to the questions above so when you “flick the switch” next time you understand where that electricity comes from.

Are you counting on the environmental community to step in and find a way to supply your electric needs now and as our City continues to grow? Think again.

Probably nothing sums up the vacuum of ideas in the environmentalist community better than this news story from Palm Beach Post reporter Susan Salisbury, titled “FPL: Less natural gas would hurt consumers, increase coal use”. Here is an excerpt with emphasis added:

By 2021 the new pipeline [Southeast Pipeline System] will have the capacity to deliver about 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The Sierra Club, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and Flint Riverkeeper filed the challenge last year to FERC’s [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] approval of the pipeline. FPL and Duke Energy Florida intervened. But following the ruling, FPL officials said the challenge from environmental groups is self-defeating. “If the Sierra Club succeeds in curtailing access to natural gas, Florida consumers would experience increased fuel costs due to more limited availability of natural gas and increased air emissions due to the continued use of older coal-fired power plants,” McDermitt [FPL spokesman Dave McDermitt] said. “FPL has been working to phase out three coal-burning plants in Florida, but the Sierra Club’s actions would jeopardize these plans,” McDermitt said.

So, according to the Sierra Club, our future electric needs will depend on coal? Coal from where? China maybe? Or maybe shut down all the FPL plants creating electricity from natural gas and go completely solar?

By the way, millions of people were severely impacted not having electric power after Hurricane Irma in Florida. All but a tiny few of those without power cared a whit where their electricity comes from, including the vast majority of Lake Worth Electric Utility customers.

In fact, a significant amount of power purchased by the Lake Worth Electric Utility comes from coal via the Orlando Stanton #1 electric generation plant.

Fully one-third of our City’s electric power comes from natural gas (purchased from Orlando Utility Commission) and the rest is electricity from the FP&L St. Lucie nuclear electric plant. A small fraction, small now but bigger plans later on, comes from our solar energy field but that electric generation will hardly be enough to power the entire City, one which is growing in population each and every year.

The Sierra Club is good at finding problems.But they’re not so good at finding solutions.

If the Sierra Club thinks going 100% solar energy is the answer, well, it’s not. Whilst on the subject of solar and green energy, two members of Deep Green Resistance (DGR) discuss green energy alternatives they believe have created unintended consequences(click on link to watch the video). DGR takes a sobering view of modern-day environmentalism and call out some environmental groups by name, including the Sierra Club.

In the video (use link above) a member of DGR says:

“Today we’re going to introduce you to some ideas that you’re probably familiar with already as environmentalists. But we might also be talking about some things that are surprising or even shocking to some of you.”

When you watch the video by DGR, many of you will indeed be shocked by what you hear. However, the strategy by the Sierra Club has never been to keep your electric bill affordable. Because if it was, the Sierra Club would be working with FPL, not filing lawsuit after lawsuit against them.

By the way, have you ever seen a press release from the Sierra Club praising the City of Lake Worth Electric Utility for our new solar field and moving forward with sustainable and diverse “Distributed Energy: The Lake Worth Solution”?

Thursday, January 4, 2018

“[R]equest for a Major Site Plan to allow for the construction of a 189 unit mixed use
apartment complex, and a request for a Sustainable Bonus Incentive Program to
increase the building height, to include one, five-story building and four, three-story
buildings. The site is located approximately 200 feet west of the 10th Avenue North
and Boutwell Road intersection, within the Mixed-Use West Zoning District (MU-W).”

By the way, are you a new or recently new residentof this little City of Lake Worth?

Have you heard anything about the Park of Commerce (POC)? It’s an area west of I-95 generally east and west of Boutwell Rd. between Lake Worth Rd. and 10th Ave. North.

So. Is this something new? That place calledthe “Park of Commerce”?

No, it’s not. Many past City administrations have tried, and failed, to make this areaa
major contributor to the City’s commercial tax base giving homeowners
less of a burden. Some former electeds were so desperate to have
something happen in the POC — anything at all — even a chicken farm was
suggested at one point.

When did the City seriously start considering a POC? Click on image to enlarge:

Now that we’re heading into elections once again here in this little City of Lake Worth know that the POC for many years has been used as a political football to frighten the public about ‘evil developers’ because so few understand what and where the POC actually is.

And who knows, on the topic of ‘political footballs’, there might even be a protest against the POC once again, just like there was two years ago! By the way, can you believe it’s been two years since the last protest here in our City? Hard to believe, but it’s true.

Rare footage of President Donald Trump playing golf was posted on YouTube by pro golfer Taylor Funk and then removed this afternoon. Funk joined his father, PGA Tour veteran Fred Funk, for a round with the president on New Year’s Day at Trump International Golf Club in unincorporated West Palm Beach.

How many other reporters and columnistsjust write that Trump International Golf Club is ‘in West Palm Beach’ because it’s just a little easier and saves a little bit of time? Now those of you reading this know that famous golf club is located in unincorporated Palm Beach County or also referred to as “suburban West Palm Beach”.

About the reporter:

George Bennett has been a Palm Beach Post reporter since 1992. In addition to his reporting duties, he writes a Monday politics column in the local news section and is a frequent contributor to the Post On Politics blog. He's a graduate of The George Washington University.

Have community news, an upcoming event, or inquire about advertising rates? Call the editor at 561-585-9387. Pick up the print edition at the City’s newsstand, 600 Lake Ave. in the Downtown.It’s still ¢50!

Plus a FREE service promoting local “Club Meetings and Other Points of Interest”:

Free listing for service clubs’ and charitable organizations schedules
and special events open to the public. Send information to About
Town, 1313 Central Terrace, Lake Worth, FL 33460, fax 561-585-
5434 or email lwheraldje@gmail.com

“Backyard chicken trend causes spike in infections, 1 fatal”

The opening 3 paragraphs from AP:

“Luke Gabriele was a healthy 14-year-old football player in Pennsylvania when he began to feel soreness in his chest that grew increasingly painful. When his breathing became difficult, doctors detected a mass that appeared to be a tumor. For a week, Dan and DeAnna Gabriele thought their son was dying until tests identified the cause: not cancer, but chickens[emphasis added] — the ones he cared for at home. They had apparently infected him with salmonella that produced a severe abscess. The popular trend of raising backyard chickens in U.S. cities and suburbs is bringing with it a soaring number of illnesses from poultry-related diseases, some of them fatal.”

If you didn’t know the Urban Chicken groupies here in the City of Lake Worth — the few that remain — always held up the City of Stuart as forward-thinking, on the cutting edge of “backyard chickens”. Well, then there came some very bad news as reported in the TCPalm:

STUART — In late June, residents of single-family homes were told they could have up to two backyard chickens. That’s no longer the case. Commissioner Jeffrey Krauskopf on July 10 backtracked his approval, tipping the scale against backyard chickens. . .”

If you’re new to this issue, e.g., a new resident of the City of Lake Worth (aka, “L-Dub”) or have a family with children,* below is the history of this topic going back to 2009.

History of the ‘UrbanChicken’ in L-Dub:

Thankfully, this was an idea a former Lake Worth City commissioner kept “cooped up” after getting elected back in 2015. Ryan Maier decided not to run for re-election in 2017 but the reason had nothing to do with chickens, or eggs either. Maier never once brought up the topic of the ‘Urban Chicken’ after becoming an elected official.

“Is raising chickens legal in the City?”

No!

Raising chickens or chicken farming, e.g., ostensibly for eggs and as a hobby IS NOT LEGAL within the municipal limits of our City. And besides, have you seen the price of eggs at Publix recently?

Do you have a “chicken problem” in your neighborhood? Contact the City’s Code Enforcement.

In
2009 the City came very close to allowing chickens, ducks, and bees
to be farmed for ‘personal’ use. If you can believe it, there was even a
mayoral candidate (Rachel Waterman) who thought the City’s Park of Commerce would be great for a large chicken breeding/egg production facility.

For some perspective, here is a blog post from the inimitable Tom McGow on April 18, 2009 titled, tongue-in-cheek, Farm Living Is The Life For Me. . .

It’s funny, but not really. Chickens in an urban environment are a major public health issue, especially so for young children.

Besides
chickens needing much maintenance and coop cleaning, chickens spread
viruses/bacteria and also attract predators such as raccoons and feral cats (another serious problem all its own). Simply stated: raising
poultry in an urban environment is a serious public health issue. In a City
that is still plagued with blighted properties it doesn’t need one more potential plague to regulate. In fact, chickens are “out of the hen house” already as readers can attest by recent sightings.

Why the big deal about raising chickens in Lake Worth besides the health, safety, and code issues? Because it’s a really bad idea that needs to go away. Below are excerpts from a 2011 Post article about the “clandestine chicken army” that still struts.

“There’s a whole clandestine chicken army out there,” said former City Commissioner Cara Jennings, who mother-henned the 2009 effort but is lying low this time.

and. . .

Freelance hairstylist Ryan Maier, 31, started a Facebook group called Lake
Worth Chickens recently because of his interest in growing his own food.

“I had never been on Facebook,” he said. “But I saw what was
going on in Egypt, so I decided to do something.” [emphasis added]

Thankfully, the anti-chicken forces rallied. . .

The anti-chicken organizer, Karri Casper, wrote that Lake Worth Chickens is
just a subversive effort to stop development of the city and turn Lake Worth
into farmland.“This is another plot from the Anarchists to distract us from the
critical issues at hand,” the group’s Facebook page says. “For
criminy sakes, this is NOT a rural area.”

It would be reassuring if, once and for all, this really bad idea gets baked, grilled, or roasted for good. Especially considering all the important issues that face this City such as infrastructure, potholes, and fixing our streets and sidewalks.

With the looming elections on March 13th this would make for interesting candidate question: “What is your position on the urban chicken?”

*The ‘Urban Chicken’ (or “Backyard Chicken”) presents a very real danger for the health of young children, the elderly and pregnant women. These animals also present challenges to the State and Federal governments, e.g., food safety (biosecurity) and are a burden on local Code Enforcement as well, addressing complaints and nuisance issues.

Free Catered “Real EstateAgent Breakfast” is Thursday,January 11th.

The latest news is “The City of Lake Worth would like to invite all Real Estate Agents. . .”

“Join us for a breakfast presentation on January 11 at 9:00 am in the Casino Ballroom. Learn about all the City has to offer and how you can best sell within Lake Worth, Palm Beach County’s most vibrant beach community. Following the breakfast presentation there will be the opportunity to network with City staff and ask any questions you may have about the City. Our hope is that you will leave with a toolbox full of information to help you better when working with clients in the City.”

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

First, how does one write a Letter to the Editor?

The instructions (word count, your required contact information, etc.) and who to/where to send your letter is all detailed below. It will only take 5–10 minutes to write your letter. Did you already write a Letter to the Editor (LTE) and it didn’t get published? Find out below what you did wrong and don’t make the same mistake twice: the trick is you need to follow up. Learn how to do that a little later in this blog post.

Why write a Letter to the Editor?

Because what happened onNew Year’s Day 2018 was inexplic-able and thoughtless.

Let the editor at The Palm Beach Post know that this 6-square-mile City of Lake Worth has 10+ public parks not including the parks at the Lake Worth Beach and “Pocket Parks” in the City as well.

So why was the feature story yesterday on New Year’s Day titled, “IN FOCUS: LAKE WORTH” all about John Prince Park?

John Prince Park is not locatedin the City of Lake Worth!

Ask the editor, “Why didn’t you do a feature aboutthis City’s public parks?”

Who knows, maybe your LTE will get publishedin this week’s Sunday edition?

Your letter just might be the one that gets the attention of the editor at The Palm Beach Post and finally bring about the change that’s needed at that ‘newspaper’.

For example: Wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air having a young female beat reporter coveringour City of Lake Worth beat?

For a brief time back in 2010 Post reporter Lona O’Connor was the City of Lake Worth’s beat reporter.

Since at least 2008 every other beat reporter from the Post has been male, e.g., Willy Howard, Eliot Kleinberg briefly, Chris Persaud (who won two prestigious awards for election reporting) and then — after almost a year of not having a beat reporterfrom the Post — in then comes Kevin Thompson who was supposed to covering our City and Greenacres as well, two similarly-sized small cities.

So who would be a very good candidate to be the new beat reporter for the City of Lake Worth? Not certain who is available at the Post right now but there is one reporter in particular getting more and more attention from the news reading public here in Central Palm Beach County. Click on this link to find out who that reporter is.

Press release datelined Jan. 2nd.

City of Lake Worth — Due to storm conditions the Lake Worth Pier will be closed to the public effective immediately. High winds through the night and dangerous surf have caused a danger to public safety. Conditions will continue to be monitored and upon the high winds and surf subsiding the pier will reopen. The City apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

About this little City that has its own Beach:

“We are LAKE WORTH.* A hometown City that is committed to delivering the
highest level of customer service through a commitment to integrity,
hard work and a friendly attitude. We strive to exceed the expectations
of our citizens, our businesses, our elected officials and our fellow
employees.”

*Located in Central Palm Beach County, Lake Worth is a dynamic, multi-cultural city with an individualistic style. People are drawn to the City by its acceptance of different cultures and lifestyles, historic districts, hip downtown and colorful arts district.

Monday, January 1, 2018

But first, a quick quiz: How many public parks do you think are in the City of Lake Worth? Morethan 10? Less than 10?

Find out the answer below and why that question is of some importance today, New Year’s Day 2018 in our little City.

And, of course, there was no “CORRECTION” published in today’s Monday print edition which is nothing new. The City is rarely extended that courtesy.

NOTE: There will not be a Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board meeting held this Wednesday, Jan. 3rd, 2018 at 6:00 here in the City of Lake Worth.

Please spread the word: The news about a P&Z Board meeting that appeared in the Post print edition yesterday is not correct. The next P&Z Board meeting in the City will be held on Jan. 17th, 6:00 at City Hall.

For an excellent explanation why, please note the comment below left by the Chair of the P&Z Board, the iconic and inimitable Mr. Greg Rice.

So. Back to the question.

How many public parks are in theCity of Lake Worth?

In today’s New Year’s Day print edition of the Post, the Lake Worth Very Very Special Monday Cursory Print Edition (LWVVSMCPE) the feature story on page B3, “IN FOCUS: LAKE WORTH” is not about the City of Lake Worth at all.

The story by beat reporter Kevin Thompson today, New Year’s Day, is all about John Prince Park and includes a charming photo with the caption, “A squirrel remains alert by a chain-link fence.”

The Palm Beach Post “IN YOUR COMMUNITY”?

John Prince Park is not in the City of Lake Worth. That park is a County park in “suburban Lake Worth”. How many parks are in our City the Post beat reporter could have featured today,“IN YOUR COMMUNITY”?

Below is a partial list of parks in the City of Lake Worth not including parks at the Lake Worth Beach and “Pocket Parks” which are small community ‘passive’ parks along roadways and in City neighborhoods:

Bryant Park

Bryant Park South

Constitution Park

Howard Park

“Lend a Hand” Park

Harold Grimes Memorial Park

Northwest Park (and City ball fields)

Tropical Ridge Fitness Park

South Palm Park

Spillway Park

Sunset Ridge Park

And as far as I know, each of these parks located in the City have squirrels and many of those critters would be pretty pleased to pose for a picture for peanuts.

So why didn’t the reporter at the Post feature one of the parks listed above today, New Year’s Day, in the print edition of The Palm Beach Post? Who knows, that is anyone’s guess. But if you want to follow-up with the reporter and find out why here is his contact information:

Twitter: @KevinDThompson

Phone: 561-820-4573

Email: kthompson@pbpost.com

You can better understand now why a very prominent and well-known City resident wrote recently,

“I have been propelled at last, from a mild discontent into an unbearable ennui [utter weariness and discontent] that must be attended to.”

Something to consider. Maybe it’s time to start theNew Year 2018 off with a subscription toThe Lake Worth Herald:

To see this week’s front page of the Heraldclick on this link. The Lake Worth Herald Press is located at 1313 Central Terrace in the City of Lake Worth. Call 561-585-9387 for more information or email: editor@lwherald.com

First. . .

‘L-Dubians’!

Yes. “L-Dubians” is the plural for a group of cool City of Lake Worth residents, Hipster Millennials and Apatharchists and can also be used to make the plural of LDub, L-DUB, ElleDub, El-Dub and the French LéDûb; for example, LDubians, Elle-Dubíans, and LéDûbyen.

Of course, the hyphen is always optional as is the use of upper- and lowercase.

Here is the message from Mr. Ben Kerr, the City of Lake Worth’s public information officer (PIO):

“Hey L-Dub,
So I need your help. . .”

“On January 11 at 9am the City is hosting a Real Estate Agent Breakfast in the Lake Worth Casino Ballroom. The purpose being to help provide agents with up-to-date information about the City (rate parity, awesome events, Neighborhood Road Program, crime reduction, etc.) so that when they are selling within the City of Lake Worth they can let potential future LDubians [sic] know why they should buy here. What can you do? If you are an active Real Estate Agent then invite your colleagues, come along and take part in the event. If you are not a Real Estate Agent then please share this with any agents you might know within the County.
Real Estate Agents please fill in this form to RSVP no later than January 5th and remember to invite your colleagues as well. Thank you and I hope this will be one more success for Lake Worth in 2018!”

Spread the word all you L-Dubians!

First, an observation from Yours Truly, an earlier posting on this blog:

“With the Atlantic Ocean as a barrier to the east, environmentally sensitive land (the Everglades) to the west, the Keys to the south and with the urbanized area stretching about as far north as it can go, the only way that we will be able to accommodate expected population growth and maintain some type of mobility within the region is through the re-invigoration of our train and transit alternatives.”

This is just the beginning.

Next up: the Coastal Link. And later (or maybe at the same time?) addressing truck traffic on I-95, train traffic on the FEC/CSX, the U.S. 27 multi-modal corridor linking Port Miami to the Glades community in Palm Beach County. Did I miss anything?

Use this link to read about our tour of the West Palm Beach Brightline Station last July.

In the Christmas Day print edition of the Post’s “LOOKING AHEAD TO 2018” was more old election news on page B3, the ‘Local’ section. It’s hard to believe now, but what happened at the Lake Worth City Commission meeting on Dec. 12th finally made the paper on Dec. 25th, thirteen (13) days later.

Not exactly what one would call ‘new’ news.

What happened on Dec. 12th, by the way, had already been well chronicled in The Lake Worth Herald that very next Thursday, on Dec. 14th.

Here’s what appeared in the Post last week:

“Mayor Pam Triolo and District 1 City Commissioner
Scott Maxwell will face challengers in the upcoming election. Triolo
will face Drew Martin and Maxwell will square off against Sarah Malega.
District 2 City Commissioner Andy Amoroso did not draw a
challenger.”

What needs to clarified — which is explained below — is the ballot for the election(s) to be held on March 13th, 2018, has not yet been officially certified.

So. Yes. Drew Martin may be on the ballot but then again he may not be on the ballot. He may decide he’s made a big mistake and withdraw. Until the ballot is certified and sent to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections THERE IS NO OFFICIAL BALLOT.

Plus there’s also an issue in the District 1 race. It has to do with the order on the ballot,
specifically the letters ‘M’ and ‘P’. Likely a
special meeting will be scheduled to address this matter and send the
March 2018 ballot to the Supervisor of Elections.

Spotty election reporting in the Post is nothing new.

Early last year it took the Post thirty-five (35) days to report that former Commissioner Ryan Maier had decided not to run for re-election after the ballot was certified and sent to the Supervisor of Elections. Maier dropped out of the race on Dec. 26th, 2016 and the Post finally got about to reporting this election news on January 30th, 2017.

And lastly, per the excerpt in the Post yesterday, it did happen on Dec. 12th that no one filed to run against Commissioner Amoroso. So he’ll begin serving another term on the Lake Worth City Commission — but this time for 3 years following the referendum that passed last March — one more thing missing from the news in the Post published this week in the County’s ‘paper of record’.

Anyhow. . .

Do you remember March 2016? Mayor Pam Triolo,Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell and Commissioner Andy Amoroso all won in landslide elections.

Who was the “shill” in 2016? A ‘shill’ is not in the race to win but rather to draw enough votes toforce a run-off election. Because in a run-offanything can happen.

And there’s more!

Another election record was set here in the City of Lake Worth on Dec. 12th. In the category of “Shortest Political Campaign Ever”. Richard Stowe, Chair of the City’s Tree Board filed his papers to run against Commissioner Amoroso on Dec. 11th and then filed his campaign “Termination Report” the very next day before noon. The good news is Mr. Stowe got his $25 back.

To see all the candidates for the “2018 General Election” click on this link. Remember: The ballot has not yet been certified!

Before long the Playhouse and some neighborhood debates will be scheduled. Drew Martin needs to prepare his “Opening Statement” and maybe he will explain to the public why we need anelection for mayor in 2018.

Because, apparently, he is one of few that does.

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Dear Dustin,

Your one-liner at the Lake Worth City Commission last year was one of the classics, all time. Whilst sitting home and watching that City Commission meeting I laughed myself silly. It was that good. The timing and choice of agenda items? Priceless. You truly did, my Dear Friend, you “brought the house down” with your clever one-liner about my football team, the Michigan State Spartans.

Truly, I can’t recall a time seeing everyone, the mayor, all the commissioners, City attorney and manager laughing so hard. Written by Dustin on a comment card which was handed to the mayor to read aloud, Dustin. . . “[W]rote that
everyone should wish Wes Blackman and the Michigan State Spartans good
luck on their bowl game.”

What was so funny last year. . .

For those of you who don’t follow college football, my Michigan State Spartans did not go to a bowl game in 2016. Why not? Their record was 3-9. It was a terrible year for my beloved football team. I know. I watched every single game.

But 2017 turned out a bit differently. My team, the Michigan State Spartans defeated Dustin’s beloved Michigan Wolverines this year. And in 2017 the Spartans went 10-3, a remarkable turnaround. And they crushed Washington State in the Holiday Bowl too.So as we all prepare to watch the Outback Bowl tomorrow at noon between the Michigan Wolverines and the South Carolina Gamecocks, well, would just like to remind my Good Friend Dustin that in the game of football every second counts, including the final seconds:

Below is the logo of my new, most favorite football team. Click on this link to read about the storied history of the South Carolina Gamecocks: